Denver Broncos: DeMarcus Ware having back surgery

Denver Broncos pass rusher DeMarcus Ware will have surgery to repair a ruptured disc in his back as the offseason for the Broncos is almost underway…

If this is it for Denver Broncos pass rusher DeMarcus Ware, it’s been a heck of a ride. At 34 years of age, Ware was only able to play in 10 games this past season, recording four sacks and 15 tackles.

It was the lowest sack total of Ware’s NFL career thus far, but the combination of the Broncos using him less and his injuries simply were too much to overcome. Ware’s injuries are more extensive than originally thought, and he will enter the offseason having surgery to repair a ruptured disc in his back.

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Head coach Gary Kubiak commented on Ware’s situation:

“It’s been tough. I can’t speak for him and how he was feeling, but I know he wasn’t feeling like himself. He battled for us this year. He had some issues going on. He missed all of camp with the infection and those types of things. We did an MRI and found out that he has a ruptured disc. One things about him, he takes great care of himself. He’s in amazing shape for his age. He has good football left in him and his attitude is really good. I think we’re going to get it taken care of tomorrow and find out exactly how he’s doing.”

Ware’s impeccable shape is undeniable, but his body has failed him in other ways. If he can get to 100 percent, or close to it, we saw in the 2015 playoffs what kind of player he is still capable of being.

That is, a game changer.

Von Miller thinks Ware would like to come back, and likened him to a sports car that needs some repairs…

“Yes, I think he still wants to come back,” Miller said. “He still has that fire. I think he had a post on Instagram the other day to kind of subliminal-like answer to questions and talked about it, whatever it may be. He basically said that he still has gas in the tank. I see him every day. That Ferrari, it might have break issues, but it still has gas in the tank and you can get those breaks fixed and you’re still going to be a Ferrari at the end of the day; a Ferrari around just regular cars. He still has gas in the tank and I would like to see him come back. He’s a champion [and] he’s a leader. There is so much other stuff that I can put behind that, but it would be great to get him back.”

Ware’s arrival in Denver and subsequent impact on the team couldn’t have been more perfect for what this team needed. He immediately contributed 10 sacks in his first year as a Bronco, and proved that John Elway knew what he was doing, ditching plans to sign Jared Allen or Michael Johnson and going after the veteran former Cowboy.

For Von Miler, the arrival of Ware meant the arrival of a mentor. Someone who could help bring him along as a person as well as a pass rusher. Miller spoke a bit on what Ware means to him on Thursday:

“What does DeMarcus Ware mean to me? I could sit here all day and just write a book about the moments that DeMarcus has impacted my life. Just to put it in a summary, I’ve been in the league six years and three of those years have been with DeMarcus. If you look at my years with DeMarcus and you look at the type of player that I was and the type of person that I am now during DeMarcus’ tenure is entirely different. If you know about Denver and the Denver Broncos, you would know exactly the type impact that he’s had in my life and in my career.”

That about sums it up.

The impact of Ware in Denver has been enormous. There are worse players to have on the roster, even at his age and ability level. If the Broncos bring him back next season, it would certainly be at a reduced rate but he could still be an impact both on and off the field.